As a young professional with a steady income and independence, the days of smoking out of a water bottle or apple are thankfully gone. Additionally, quasi legalization in my home of New York has led to more marijuana products on the market than a late-night diner has food on its menu (a lot).
Since many of us are spoiled for choice, I want to share my opinions on what my favorite products and brands are because it took a little trial and error to find them. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty…
Rolling kit
Whenever I want to roll up now, I use regular sized Raw papers . These papers are easy to roll and burn evenly. They are also not as prone to ripping as other brands. I personally like to buy the ones that come with filters because then you have them in the same package, which guarantees that you always have them together.
In addition to raw papers, I have found that having a joint roller is particularly handy. I sometimes catch some heat from my overly-zealous smoking friends about how that is cheating and that I just use it because I do not know how to hand roll. Not to be overly defensive, I do know how to roll… but, I prefer the roller because it is super fast and easy to use and it gives you a perfect J that looks like cigarette. Again, I go with Raw brand as it matches up well with the size of the papers.
I use a Jay and Silent Bob rolling tray, which is another piece of ‘merch that I high recommend. It keeps you from making a mess and saves weed that is spilled so that you can use it again.
Grinder
One area of significant improvement I have found over my early scrappier days of smoking is my high-quality grinder. I now use a Sharpstone grinder, which works extremely well even with large amounts of weed. The biggest difference between a high and low quality grinder is the high-quality one just chews right through the flower, while a low-quality one is sticky and can be frustrating to use. My days of finger-picking flower apart or using a budget grinder are gone. I can tell you from experience it makes a big difference.
Bong
It took me quite a while to finally come to the light and purchase a “real” bong. I was using my acrylic orange bong from college for quite a few years after graduating because I had it and it was all that I knew. On a trip out to LA, I went to a glass blowing workshop and saw a ton of custom pieces. I decided that time was better than ever to finally splurge on a bong… it was one of the best choices I have made since I decided to start smoking. My recommendation here is do not try to go cheap. Instead, find a bong that you really love and go for it. It can last you a lifetime and can be seen as a genuine piece of art that is also functional. I do not have a specific suggestion for the type, but I suggest finding something nice ($200-$500 range) and pull the trigger. You won’t regret it.
Vaporizer
I am going to stick to vaporizers for actual marijuana flowers. I can get into my thoughts on vapes that use vape juice in later articles. My personal favorite is the Xtreme Q. This is great for sharing and hits incredibly smooth. When I got my first Xtreme Q while in college, my teammates and I would often hit it after practice as a way to relieve pain and relax. I HIGHLY recommend it. It conserves bud, is easy to pass around, and eliminates some of the smell associated with burning the flower. For solo use, I recommend the G Pen Pro Vaporizer. It is better than the much more advertised PAX vaporizer and it is cheaper as well.
Storage
I do not have any particularly fancy suggestion here. I would recommend going to your local supermarket and getting a large mason jar. It will work as well as anything you could buy. The flower inside the glass jar is aesthetically pleasing and the bud will be much easier to access than in something less rigid. Additionally, a glass mason jar is proven to eliminate the smell.
Seeds
If you have interest in growing, I have two suggestions for you. First, you will need seeds, for which I recommend www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com, yes I know the name is ridiculous, but the company and products are legit. Second, you will need to learn how to grow, for which you can find resources on this site. If you want to take a deeper dive into this craft, I would recommend you check out THC University. They have all the resources to help you get deep into the game and be successful in growing.
Thanks for reading and I hope you found it helpful! It took a lot of trial and error to level up my smoking game so fingers crossed my learnings will help you to level up as well. Leave a comment below if you have any additional suggestions!
